Smart grid welding system

ABSTRACT

Welding system and method permit exchange of data with Smart Grid monitors and/or controllers. The welding systems include a welding power supply configured to convert power between the power grid and the welding power supply. A grid interface cooperates with control circuitry to transmit data to and/or from the grid monitors and/or controllers on the grid side. The control circuitry may control operation of the welding power supply based upon data from the grid. The system may include power generation devices (e.g., engine-drive generators) and energy storage devices (e.g., batteries). The control circuitry may control operation of such devices, the exchange of power between them, and the draw of power from the grid or the application of power to the grid based upon the data exchanged with the grid monitors and/or controllers.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation Application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/011,586, entitled “Smart Grid Welding System”,filed Jan. 21, 2011, which is a Non-Provisional Patent Application ofU.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/297,344, entitled “Smart GridHybrid Welding System”, filed Jan. 22, 2010, both of which are hereinincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to welding, heating and cuttingsystems and to their operation in connection with Smart Gridconnectivity and data exchange.

Welding systems have become virtually ubiquitous throughout industry.Such systems are currently used in all industries, includingmanufacturing, physical plant construction, ship building, pipelineconstruction, maintenance and repair, etc. While variations exist in thesystem configurations and their modes of operation, many such systemsare strictly electrical and rely upon the creation of a welding arc tomelt and fuse base metals and/or adder metals, typically in the form ofrods and wires. Currently available systems include, for example, gasmetal arc welding (GMAW) systems, shielded metal arc welding (SMAW)systems, etc. In conventional terms, such systems may include so-calledstick welders, metal inert gas (MIG) welders, tungsten inert gas (TIG)welders, etc. It should be noted that in the present context, althoughreferences made to “welding” systems and operations, the term here isintended to cover similar and related processes, such as heating (e.g.,induction heating used to support welding operations), and cutting(e.g., plasma torch systems).

Welding systems that rely on the creation of a welding arc have beenrefined to operate efficiently and effectively for joining metals indesired joints, but nevertheless requires substantial amounts of power.This power is typically provided from the power grid when the systemsare connected to the grid (e.g., plugged in). However, other powersources are also common, however, including engine-driven generators,batteries, and the use of alternative sources, such as fuel cells, supercapacitors, etc. have been proposed. In many contexts, the weldingsystems are designed to regulate the conversion and delivery of powerbased upon the onset and termination of welding arcs (or heating in thecase of heating systems, or plasma arc creation in the case of plasmaarc cutting systems). When connected to the grid, these systems mayrepresent substantial loads. Moreover, the systems may alter the powerfactor of the connected infrastructure, requiring correction forefficient operation. However, to date, little or no effort has beeninvested in intelligently coordinating operation of welding systems withthe grid, or the coordination of alternative power sources from whichthe welding systems may draw the needed power with power from the grid.

Recent developments in power production and distribution have focused onthe establishment of a so-called “Smart Grid”. While the project isstill evolving in definition and scope, and will certainly require yearsfor full implementation, the concept includes the creation of aninteractive power generation and distribution infrastructure in whichdata systems enable closer coordination of power production and loads.It is hoped that such efforts will result in a power grid that is morereliable, efficient, and balanced.

There is a need, at present, for improvements in welding systems thatwill be capable of cooperating with the Smart Grid infrastructure suchthat the significant loads represented by such systems can be at leastpartially managed along with other loads and power production assetsthat will be a part of the future Smart Grid deployment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

The present invention provides improved welding systems designed torespond to such needs. Here again, the term “welding systems” will betaken to include systems both for arc welding, as well as for heatingand cutting of work pieces in conjunction with these types ofoperations. The invention offers an improvement to existing systems thatmay be deployed at various levels in the welding processes and that maybe scaled to particular operations, production layouts, plant assets,etc. In a simple implementation, a conventional welding system may becoupled to a Smart Grid interface such that operation of the weldingsystem may be coordinated with information exchanged with and externalSmart Grid interface on a power production distribution side. Moreover,such Smart Grid interface circuitry may be incorporated into weldingsystems themselves to enable internal monitoring and control. Stillfurther, the monitoring and control functions may be deployed at aproduction area level, a plant level or a business level to managemultiple welding assets and to coordinate their operation. The inventionalso allows for the intelligent coordination of both welding systemloads, and the production and storage of power. These operations areavailable on a demand side (e.g., in a welding system, between weldingsystems, at a production area level, at a plant level, at a plant level,or at an enterprise level). So-called “demand response” is thereforeafforded by the invention, allowing for more coordinated production,storage and usage of power in weld settings.

DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood when the following detaileddescription is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in whichlike characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 a diagrammatical overview of a Smart Grid welding system designedto cooperate with Smart Grid monitoring and control components on apower production side;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatical representation of an exemplary welding systemincluding a welding power supply designed to communicate with anexternal Smart Grid interface, and to coordinate and control the use ofpower based upon such communication;

FIG. 3 is a similar diagrammatical representation of welding powersupply that includes power generation and power storage circuitry (e.g.,a hybrid systems) designed to communicate with a Smart Grid interface;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatical representation of a system that might includean external monitor and controller; and

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps in logic forperforming welding applications in communication with a Smart Grid

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As described more fully below, the systems, functionality and operationof welding equipment made available by the present invention provide fortwo-way data communication and where desired two-way power flow betweenwelding systems and the power grid. In terms of the loads applied to thegrid by welding and similar operations, this may allow for appropriatecommunication and timing of the onset and termination of weldingoperations. It may also allow for the planning of operations, schedulingof welding-based production operations, and the monitoring of powerusage during such operations. Similarly, when welders or weldingsystems, or even production areas or entire production facilitiesinclude power generation capabilities, control of these assets can bebased upon such factors as the availability of power from the grid, costof power from the grid, peak and off-peak utilization, etc. In short,because of welding and similar operations may represent a substantialload that may suddenly draw from the grid, the ability to communicateparameters from a Smart Grid monitoring or control entity and a weldingoperation will greatly facilitate coordination of power production anddistribution both on the grid side and on the welder side.

It should also be noted that the systems, components and functionalitydescribed below are intended to be compatible with existing andfuture-developed Smart Grid standards, particularly those establishedunder the direction of the United States National Institute of Standardsand Technology (NIST), the Grid Wise Architecture Counsel, the UnitedStates Department of Energy, as well as other organizations that are andwill become standards-setting bodies, such as the American NationalStandards Institute (ANSI), the Institute of Electrical and ElectronicsEngineers (IEEE) and the ZigBee Alliance. Such standards do and willcall for the measurement of certain electrical parameters of loads andpower generation equipment, the communication of such parameters togrid-side providers, the communication of information, such as poweravailability, power factor needs, pricing, etc. from such providers, aswell as for the extraction of power from the power grid and theapplication of generated power to the power grid, such as by weldingsystems, generators associated with welding systems, storage devices,etc. Moreover, it is contemplated that at least some of thisfunctionality will be performed automatically, without operatorintervention, while other aspects may be based upon input by aparticular welding operator, production management, plant management,etc.

Turning now to the drawings, and referring first to FIG. 1, a Smart Gridwelding system 10 is illustrated diagrammatically. The welding system isdesigned to receive power from the power grid 12 and includes a weldingproduction facility designated generally by the reference 14. As will beappreciated by those skilled in the art, the power grid 12 will includea range of energy producers 16 that produce electrical power from avariety of resources and applies the power to the grid distribution andtransmission infrastructure 18. In general, the producers may producethe power based upon any available technologies, such as fossil fuels,hydroelectric power generation, wind energy, photovoltaic devices (e.g.,solar), fuel cells, etc. The producers will condition the power,typically generated in three-phase, and provide the power to thedistribution and transmission infrastructure 18 through which it isdelivered to all consumers and users. In the Smart Grid implementationillustrated, one or more independent system operators 20 will be activein the vicinity of the production facility 14, and may server to providedata to, receive data from, and coordinate with the facility for theusage and supply of power before, during and after welding operations.Moreover, a Smart Grid control/monitoring entity 22 may existseparately, such as a governmental or quasi-governmental authoritytasked with the monitoring of power quality, the assurance of gridreliability, etc.

In the illustration of FIG. 1, three-phase power is illustrated as beingdistributed to the production facility 14, although power could bedistributed to a facility in single-phase form. In the United States,for example, three-phase power is delivered at 60 Hz, although otherstandards may be accommodated by the system. The incoming power isreceived by a metering and distribution infrastructure 28 on theproduction facility side. This equipment allows for the conditioning ofincoming power, stepping up or stepping down of voltage levels, and soforth for servicing the production facility. Moreover, the metering anddistribution infrastructure is coupled to one or moremonitor/controllers 30 which allow for sensing, storing, andcommunicating data regarding the power needs and power utilization, bothto and from the facility. In a presently contemplated embodiment, themonitor/controller 30 may be capable of communicating data over thepower lines, although other technologies may be envisaged, such asseparate data transmission wiring, wireless data transmission, etc. Itshould also be noted that the metering and distribution infrastructure28 may allow for the conditioning of outgoing power from the facility,where such power is available and suitable for application to the grid.

The production facility 14 illustrated in FIG. 1 may include one ormultiple plants, as indicated by reference numeral 24 and 26. Ingeneral, these plants may be at the same or different locations, andcoordinated utilization of power, loading of the grid, generation andstorage of power on the production facility side may be coordinatedbetween such plants. Also illustrated in FIG. 1, are a plurality ofproduction areas, such as indicated by reference numeral 32. Suchproduction areas may exist within a particular facility or plant, suchas for specific types of manufacturing, assembly, subcomponentprocessing, etc. Within each production area, then, multiple processesmay be carried out as indicated generally by reference numeral 34. Suchprocesses may include welding, cutting, fitting up, grinding, heattreating, and machining, just to mention a few. Relevant to the presentinvention, at least one of the processes includes one or more welders asindicated by reference numeral 36. As discussed below, because weldingoperations may require substantial quantities of power, and mayrepresent loads that come onto the system relatively quickly andterminate relatively quickly, coordination of their operation with otherassets of the facility, as well as with the Smart Grid, information isuseful in contributing to the stability of the grid, cost effectivemanufacturing, manufacturing planning, etc.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the production facility 14 alsoincludes power production assets as well as energy storage assets, asindicated by reference numeral 38 and 40, respectively. The powerproduction assets 38 may include any desired type of power generationequipment, such as engine-driven generators, fuel cells, conventionalboilers or gas combustion power production equipment (e.g., turbines),wind generators, etc. Such assets may function continuously or asneeded, as described more fully below. Energy storage assets 40 maysimilarly include any suitable technologies, such as batteries,capacitors, super capacitors, fly wheels, etc.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the electricalequipment, particularly welders 36, are coupled to an internal powerdistribution network within facility 14 (not represented). This facilityinfrastructure allows for the distribution of power to the loads, aswell as for the protection of loads, the exchange of power between thegrid and power production assets and energy storage assets, etc. In someproduction facilities, for example, one or more welders may be providedin a weld cell designed for the production of a specific part or familyof parts. Such welders may include any suitable welding technology, suchas stick welders, MIG welders, TIG welders, etc. As discussed above,although the term “welder” is utilized in connection with FIG. 1, suchsystems should be understood to include, and this term is intended todesignate, not only welding equipment, but also heating systems, such asfor heat treatment, cutting equipment, such as plasma cutters, etc.Because such equipment may use power supplies similar to or incorporatedin welding power supplies, their power management may be similar to oridentical to that described below. Finally, the welders included in thesystem may be of the type employed by a human operator or may beautomated, such as robotically.

The system of FIG. 1 advantageously allows for monitoring of powerutilization by operation of the welders, as well as control of demand,production and storage of power by the facility in connection withwelding operations. As described more fully below, each of the welderswill preferably include sensing circuitry, such as for detectingvoltages, currents, power draw, etc. that can be used separately orcollectively by the facility to maintain records of power utilizationduring welding operations. Further, such sensing circuitry allows forcollecting information that can be used to advise the independent systemoperators and/or the Smart Grid control/monitoring entity and/or theenergy producers and distributors of power needs, actual powerutilization, etc. The data may also be used, such as by themonitor/controller 30 to coordinate the draw of power from the grid withpower extracted from the power production assets 38 and the energystorage assets 40, such as to allow for accommodating the grid-availablepower or lack thereof, the variations in price of such power, theavailability of power from the internal power production assets andenergy storage assets, etc.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary welder of the type described above thatmay be included in a production facility. However, it should beunderstood that the welder shown in FIG. 2 may be completelystand-alone. That is, for larger production facilities of the typeillustrated in FIG. 1, welders may report to a monitor/controller 30 fora process, a production area, a plant or an entire facility. Othercontexts, however, will allow for Smart Grid interoperability in asingle-user context, or for multiple welders operating independently orquasi-independently.

The system illustrated in FIG. 2 is coupled to the grid 12 as discussedabove, and may or may not be part of a more extensive manufacturingoperation. The system comprises a welding power supply 42 that outputswelding power via welding cables 44. A welding cable may be coupled to awire feeder 46, such as for a MIG system, although in other systems thewelding cable may be directly coupled to a torch 48, such as for stick,TIG or other types of welding. The welding power supply, in some aspectsmay be conventional, such as including power conversion circuitry 50that converts incoming power to welding power. Although three-phasepower is illustrated as being provided to the power conversioncircuitry, the present invention contemplates that the welding powersupply may receive three-phase power or single-phase power as desired.In operation, the welding system may have power factor correctioncircuitry, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,601,741, which ishereby incorporated into the present disclosure by reference. Moreover,the welding power supply will typically be coupled to the grid throughinternal power distribution components (not illustrated), such as forcircuit protection, circuit interruption, etc.

The power conversion circuitry 50 operates to convert the incoming powerto power suitable for the welding operation. As will be appreciated bythose skilled in the art, such operations may be based upon theapplication of power to the torch and to a workpiece, in the form ofdirect current power, alternating current power, pulsed power, etc.Moreover, many different welding regimes and protocols may beaccommodated, such as constant current processes, constant voltageprocesses, etc. The power conversion circuitry 50 operates under thecontrol of control circuitry 52. The control circuitry will typicallyinclude one or more processors, on-board or separate memory circuitry,etc. The control circuitry also includes sensing devices that allow forsensing at least one of a current and a voltage of the incoming power.The control circuitry may also be capable of calculating an input realpower, or input apparent power and/or an input phase angle. The controlcircuitry further include sensing devices that allow for sensing atleast one of a weld current, voltage and power output by the powerconversion circuitry. Although not separately illustrated, the controlcircuitry also will typically include operator interface devices thatallow for selection of particular operations, selection of weldsettings, selection of currents and voltages, selections of polarity,etc. The interface may also provide user feedback (typically through auser-viewable display), of particular settings, energy utilization, etc.

The embodiment of FIG. 2 also includes a Smart Grid interface 54 that isin communication with the control circuitry 52. In the embodimentillustrated, the interface 54 is incorporated in the welding powersupply, although this interface could be a separate device. The SmartGrid interface may, moreover, be defined by programming in the samememory and processor structures of the control circuitry 52, or separatememory and processor capabilities may be provided (such as on adedicated Smart Grid interface board provided in the power supply). TheSmart Grid interface allows for monitoring for power parameters before,during and after welding operations. By way of example only, the SmartGrid interface may collect data regarding currents, voltages, peak powerutilization, duty cycles, power draw times, power factor, etc. Such datamay be stored in Smart Grid interface for exchange with an externalSmart Grid interface 56. The data may also be used to control orinfluence the operation of the welding power supply. Smart Gridinterface 56 will typically be provided on the grid-side, such as in theindependent system operator 20, the Smart Grid control/monitoring entity22, or one or more of the energy producers or distributors. The SmartGrid interface 56 may, in accordance with presently established andfuture Smart Grid standards, provide an indication to the welding powersupply of available power, power costs, etc. that allow for moreintelligent utilization of the welding power supply in performingwelding operations. On the other hand, the cooperation of the Smart Gridinterface 56 with interface 54 may allow for communication to thegrid-side power provider of information regarding the present weldsettings, such as voltages, currents, power draw, as well as dynamicinformation, such as actual power utilization during welding operations,settings the control of the ramp up or ramp down of power at theinitiation and at termination of a welding arc, etc.

FIG. 3 illustrates a further embodiment of a welding power supply 42that includes power conversion circuitry 50 as well as power generationcircuitry 58 and power storage circuitry 60. In certain contexts, thewelding power supply may include both power generation circuitry 58 andstorage circuitry 60 or only one of these. Like the power supplydescribed in connection with FIG. 2, welding power supply 52 of FIG. 3allows for the receipt of power from the power grid and its conversionto power suitable for welding operations. In the embodiment of FIG. 3,however, because multiple power sources are available, power conversioncircuitry 62 may be included that allows for conditioning of the weldpower output by the power supply. All of the power conversion circuitry50, the power of generation circuitry 58 and the power storage circuitry60 may be jointly controlled by control circuitry 52 that is, as before,coupled to a Smart Grid interface 54.

The system of FIG. 3 may be considered a “hybrid” in so much as itallows for drawing of power from the power grid as well as fromalternative sources, such as power generation circuitry 58 and powerstorage circuitry 60. In presently contemplated embodiments, the powergeneration circuitry 58 may include, for example, engine-drivengenerators, fuel cells, etc. The power storage circuitry 60 may includebatteries, capacitors, super capacitors, etc. The availability of powergeneration circuitry and power storage circuitry allows for a wide rangeof options in the operation of the welding power supply. For example,under normal conditions, the power conversion circuitry 50 may receivepower from the grid and output the desired welding power for a weldingoperation 48. Based upon such factors as grid stability, availablepower, cost of power from the grid, etc., the control circuitry 52 mayinitiate operation of the power generation circuitry 58 (e.g., bystarting a generator engine) to provide some or all of the powernecessary for welding. Similarly, based upon the grid conditions powermay be drawn from (or stored in) power storage circuitry 60.

Many different scenarios may be envisaged and are enabled by thearrangement of FIG. 3. For example, because the onset of power draw bythe welding operation may be relatively sudden from the standpoint ofthe power grid, control circuitry 52 may initially call for the draw ofpower from the power storage circuitry 60, and/or from the powergeneration circuitry 58. Controlling transitions at the startup anddetermination of the initiation of the welding arc may thus reduce therate of change of power draw from the grid. The arrangement also allows,where desired, for substantially smaller power generation circuitry 58(e.g., a smaller engine and/or generator) as well as for the exchange ofpower between the power conversion circuitry 50, the power generationcircuitry 58 and the power storage circuitry 60. That is, during periodsof power draw for welding operations, some or all of the power may bedrawn from the grid or from the other sources. Depending upon the dutycycle of the welding operation, then, when the welding is not ongoing,the power storage circuitry 60 may be recharged by power from the gridor power from the power generation circuitry 58. Automation in theswitching between sources of power for the welding operation is alsoenvisaged. Thus, an operator may allow for such alternative power draw,or the system may be designed to function in this way without operatorintervention. Ideally, the source of power and the switching betweensources of power is essentially invisible to the operator such that thewelding operation may be performed in a conventional manner, whileallowing for accommodation of grid conditions, grid needs, etc. Controlcircuitry 52 and Smart Grid interface 54, may also coordinate the flowof power back to the grid from power generation circuitry 58 and/orpower storage circuitry 60. In this way, welding power supply 42 canbecome and alternate source of power for the Smart power grid duringtimes of peak demand. Power storage circuitry 60 may also be used tostore power from the Smart grid during times of low power demand asdetermined from Smart Grid control entity 22 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is diagrammatical representation of a variant of the embodimentsof FIGS. 2 and 3. That is, an external monitor/controller 64 may becoupled to a welding asset 66 and monitor at least some of theconditions of the welding asset. Moreover, the monitor/controller, as anexternal component, may be coupled to existing welding assets to makethe functionality and benefits described herein back-compatible toexisting welding systems.

It should also be noted that any and all of the benefits andfunctionalities described above may be attained at different scalesbased upon welding system topographies of the type illustrated inFIG. 1. That is, in the same way as power flow can be controlled in theembodiment of FIG. 3, at a different scale or level, similar oridentical control may be attained. For example, based upon informationexchanged between the Smart Grid welding system and the independentsystem operator, the Smart Grid control/monitoring entity, the producersor distributors, welders may be programmed to operate in particularways, such as to control power draw, control the rate of change of powerdraw, etc. Moreover, at certain times of the day or night, the gridoperators may indicate a reduction of power costs that may be used forplanning purposes in production settings. Where possible, for example,high powered-utilization welding applications, both manual andautomated, may be scheduled at times at which energy costs are reduced,typically at off-peak evening and night hours. In such settings,moreover, both planned and emergency use of internal power productionassets and energy storage assets may be controlled based upon dataexchanged with the grid management entities.

FIG. 5 represents exemplary logic for performing welding operations in aSmart Grid setting, as well as for operations that may be performed byvirtue of the Smart Grid connectivity with the power supply. The logic,designated generally by reference numeral 68, will typically begin withthe setup of the welding (or similar) system as indicated at step 70.The setup will often include selection of a welding process, selectionof weld settings, fixturing and fitting, engineering of repetitivewelding operations, scheduling of automation systems and humanoperators, etc. At step 72, then, an individual welding power supply, aSmart Grid component coupled to such a welding supply, or a componentcoupled to any stage of a manufacturing process may communicate withSmart Grid operators. As noted above, such communication may include anindication of available power, power constraints, utilizationrecommendations, power costs, etc. from the grid operators.Communications back to the grid operator may include informationrelating to welding processes, anticipated power needs, anticipated dutycycles, anticipated power draw onset and termination ramp rates, etc. Itshould be noted, however, that where desired, the welding system mayoperate based upon data exchanged via the Smart Grid interface at alltimes that the system is coupled to the Smart Grid (that is, whether awelding operation is set up or ongoing, or not).

At step 74, then, the welding operations may be performed. Suchoperations are typically performed by initiating welding arcs andcontinuing power draw in accordance with a desired welding protocol toestablish one or more welded joints. As noted above, the operation may,in addition to or instead of forming weld joints, entail the applicationof heat to a weldment or to one or more work pieces, cutting of one ormore work pieces, etc. Actual operation indicated at step 76 includesthe establishment of arcs, the draw of power, etc based upon the setupand the welding system itself However, it should be noted that at step74, the welding system and other equipment may generate power, utilizestored power, or convert and transfer power from the grid or from ademand-side power source to power storage equipment, etc.

Prior to termination of the welding operation the system maycontinuously exchange data with the Smart Grid operators to alteroperation of the welder or any other power equipment associated with thewelder. That is, as the operation continues, information relating to thedraw of power, the voltage and current levels, power factor, etc may becommunicated from the welder or the welder installation to the SmartGrid operators, and data relating to the condition of the grid may becommunicated back to the welder or the welding installation. Suchcommunication may continue until termination of the operation. Moreover,as mentioned above, the operation of the welding system may be basedupon data exchanged with the Smart Grid even prior to or after aparticular welding operation. For example, the Smart Grid data mayprompt the system to start engine-generator to provide additionalpeaking power to the grid as needed. The Smart Grid may also decide whento charge batteries and when not to. Other operations may enable powerfactor correction, power flow to or from the grid, staging of systemoperation, etc. Many such functions, both presently contemplated andlater developed will be enabled by the Smart Grid connectivity.

While only certain features of the invention have been illustrated anddescribed herein, many modifications and changes will occur to thoseskilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appendedclaims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fallwithin the true spirit of the invention.

1. A welding power supply comprising: power conversion circuitryconfigured to receive power from a power grid and to convert the powerreceived from the power grid to welding power suitable for a weldingoperation; a grid interface configured to transmit data to a grid-sidemonitor or controller in one or more components of an energy producer ordistributor and to receive data from the grid-side monitor orcontroller; and control circuitry coupled to the grid interface andconfigured to control operation of the power conversion circuitry basedat least partially upon the data received from the grid-side monitor orcontroller.
 2. The welding power supply of claim 1, wherein the gridinterface is configured to transmit data relating to operation of thewelding power supply to the grid-side monitor or controller.
 3. Thewelding power supply of claim 1, wherein the welding power supplycomprises an energy storage device configured to store energy for use bythe welding operation, and wherein the control circuitry is configuredto control charging of the energy storage device, discharging of theenergy storage device, or both, based at least partially upon the datareceived from the grid-side monitor or controller.
 4. The welding powersupply of claim 3, wherein the control circuitry is configured toalternatively command the power conversion circuitry to draw power onlyfrom the energy storage device or only from the power grid based atleast partially upon the data received from the grid-side monitor orcontroller.
 5. The welding power supply of claim 1, wherein the gridinterface is configured to transmit the data to the grid-side monitor orcontroller or to receive the data from the grid-side monitor orcontroller during an arc welding operation.
 6. The welding power supplyof claim 1, wherein the data transmitted to the grid-side monitor orcontroller comprises power-related data.
 7. The welding power supply ofclaim 6, wherein the power-related data corresponds to a power need ofthe welding power supply, power utilization by the welding power supply,or a combination thereof.
 8. The welding power supply of claim 1,wherein the data received from the grid-side monitor or controllercomprises power-related data.
 9. The welding power supply of claim 8,wherein the power-related data corresponds to past power demand, presentpower demand, power availability, power factor related information,power pricing, or a combination thereof.
 10. The welding power supply ofclaim 1, wherein the control circuitry is configured to controloperation of the power conversion circuitry based at least partiallyupon operator selection of weld settings received via an operatorinterface.
 11. A method comprising: receiving power from a power grid ina welding power supply; transmitting data via a grid interfaceassociated with the welding power supply to a grid-side monitor orcontroller in one or more components of an energy producer ordistributor; receiving data from the grid-side monitor or controller inthe grid interface; and controlling conversion of the received powerinto welding power suitable for a welding operation based at leastpartially upon the data received from the grid-side monitor orcontroller.
 12. The method of claim 11, comprising transmitting datarelating to operation of the welding power supply to the grid-sidemonitor or controller.
 13. The method of claim 11, comprising storingenergy for use by the welding operation in an energy storage device, andcontrolling charging of the energy storage device, discharging of theenergy storage device, or both, based at least partially upon the datareceived from the grid-side monitor or controller.
 14. The method ofclaim 13, comprising alternatively drawing power only from the energystorage device or drawing power only from the power grid based at leastpartially upon the data received from the grid-side monitor orcontroller.
 15. The method of claim 11, comprising transmitting the datato the grid-side monitor or controller or receiving the data from thegrid-side monitor or controller during an arc welding operation.
 16. Themethod of claim 11, comprising transmitting power-related data to thegrid-side monitor or controller.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein thepower-related data corresponds to a power need of the welding powersupply, power utilization by the welding power supply, or a combinationthereof.
 18. The method of claim 11, comprising receiving power-relateddata from the grid-side monitor or controller.
 19. The method of claim18, wherein the power-related data corresponds to past power demand,present power demand, power availability, power factor relatedinformation, power pricing, or a combination thereof.
 20. The method ofclaim 11, comprising controlling the conversion of the received powerinto welding power suitable for a welding operation based at leastpartially upon operator selection of weld settings received via anoperator interface.